OT: Funny in a really scary way

[Gandalf Parker]

They might have done it thinking that no one would try 0000000 as a first guess.

But the part that scares me is that someone showing the system to a big wig might also put in 0000000 figuring there is no way it could possibly be the right code.

Chances are that there was no thinking. They are nothing but a bunch of Windows Users. 0000000 was the default that the software installed with and it was years before anyone bothered to even consider changing it.

[ June 04, 2004, 12:56: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Raging Deadstar]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
And to think, these people were the smartest folks on the planet and they held our lives in their hands yet they choose a code system that you could basically dial like a phone number..... yes indeed this is very scary and NOVA or 60 minutes should do a story on it.

I think it's more human ignorance. You'd be surprised on the network at school how many students still keep their accounts password as "password"

[PvK]

If you read the article, it's not just that it was a simple code that someone might guess, but that they also told everyone at the facility what it was, because they didn't ever want to have it holding back their ability to fire.

The page follows with silo security analyses which many gamers (especially, smart tactical roleplayers such as I've often played RPG's with) would be able to devise simple and cheap plans which could overcome the security. Apparently we've been lucky so far that there have not been more determined and capable madmen around, trying. And that's just the nuclear weapons system in the USA...

PvK

[Thermodyne]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
The series of zeros wouldn't have been enough to launch the missles. There were switches and keys and whatever that had to be thrown in the proper order. It wouldn't be something where you bumped into the desk and accidentally nuked Vladivostok. But this did mean that if a base was overrun by hostiles or a missle crew went wacky they could make a deliberate action and launch without the proper authorization. I guess the military figured their security and training was sufficent to prevent this. Pretty scary, I agree.

Not to mention that few people had any type of hardware that could send the 8 bits of code. Also, they would need to know the transmission method, the client, the service, and the protocol. Based on the time frame, it was prolly a set of hand driven switches/relays that had to be set on site, and had to be input on site. Actually, IIRC there were cards kept in a safe that had switch settings on them. The operators would use the cards to set a series of rotary switches before they turned the keys. Those settings would then be converted to a binary instruction set for the systems on the delivery system. So, while the final output was 8bit binary, the input would have been 8 times the number of positions on the rotary switches.

[Atrocities]

Just great, GP think of this for a second, WWIII started by a kid hacker breaking into the militaries most advanced war computer because the GD military was too stupid to change the firewall codes from defualt. I wonder if we can make a movie out of this or not? I think Mathew Brodrick would make a great 14 year old kid...

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Just great, GP think of this for a second, WWIII started by a kid hacker breaking into the militaries most advanced war computer because the GD military was too stupid to change the firewall codes from defualt. I wonder if we can make a movie out of this or not? I think Mathew Brodrick would make a great 14 year old kid...

I LIKE it! Write it up and send it it.

I can see this degenerating into "no you do it, no you do it, no you do it". At one time I would have written it up and sent it in but nowadays, making a movie that says the military leaders are idio....88 22 349*@ &&@*.........(click)

[ June 04, 2004, 21:07: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Atrocities]

Hummmmmmmmmm what to call it now? I know.. WARGAMES.